The New Google Drive, Docs and Sheets Apps!

If any of you were, like me, utterly disappointed and incredulous at the absurdly expensive offering by Microsoft of Word, Excel and PowerPoint on the iPad, Google this week announced some interesting upgrades:

1. New Google Docs and Sheets apps!  From the Release Notes:

"With Google Docs you can:

-Create new documents or open and edit any that you started on the web or another device. 

-Share documents and work together with others in the same document at the same time

-Get stuff done anytime–even without an internet connection

-Add and respond to comments

-Never worry about losing your work–everything is automatically saved as you type

With Google Sheets you can:

- Create new spreadsheets or open and edit any that you started on the web or another device. 

- Share spreadsheets and work together with others in the same spreadsheet at the same time

- Get stuff done anytime–even without an internet connection

- Format cells, enter/sort data, perform various sheet operations, and more

- Never worry about losing your work–everything is automatically saved as you type"

So, for our students, they now have two FREE options next year for document and spreadsheet creation: Google and Apple's suite of Pages and Numbers (if they purchased a new iPad - but a one time $9.99 is better than at best the $45/year we'd pay for Microsoft Office).

For presentations, Keynote, Prezi, Haiku Deck, and SlideShark are the free options students have. However, Google now has the expectation and opportunity for a new Google Sheets app - which has been promised.

2. Updated GoogleDrive app.  This latest update allows you to password protect your files with a simple 4 digit security code.  The update itself also brings the GoogleDrive app more in line with how you may use DropBox or OneDrive. 

Best iPad app for managing PDFs

One of the more common requests for an app suggestion that I get around school is for a PDF-editing app: annotating, editing, filling out forms, etc. There are a couple of good options, and I've tried a few of them.

The Sweet Setup goes through the pros and cons of the most common apps, and makes a recommendation. It's a thorough review, and one they have done for several categories, if you're interested.

Apps and the Ways RJ Teachers are Using Them, Pt. 1

Sharing the way others at Jesuit schools throughout North America have incorporated Apps into their instruction leaves an impression that they (these other professionals at other schools) have it all figured out. Maybe you feel, "I don't," or "Regis Jesuit doesn't." As mentioned in the Technology Vision post, as well as the "Where are you on the Education Continuum?" post, our colleagues at RJ are doing amazing things ALREADY with their iPads in instruction.  And, if we are to succeed, we have to help one another in a spirit of risk and humor tied to a professional drive to increase learning.  To foster this, I will occasionally, as I hear about them, post ways our teachers are using their iPads in the classroom.  Here are a few:

Candace Busselmeier

"I use Explain Everything (click here to open in the AppStore) for my video lessons.  I track all classroom participation with Class Dojo (click here to open in the AppStore).  When kids are working in class, I use Talkboard (click here to open in the AppStore) to demonstrate problems.  I have also used Nearpod (click here to open in the AppStore) for assessments.  I love that one because I can have kids actually write on it on the ipad and submit it to me, then I can review it and grade it."

Dustin Dvorak

"For my classes I use Explain Everything (click here to open in the AppStore) quite a bit to create either mini lesson or review lessons for before the test that use to study.  I use NameSelector (will open in the AppStore) to do short reviews before we start class (I ask questions to the student whose name is chosen at random.  If they get it wrong I immediately ask the same question to the next student whose name is chosen). I use Class Dojo (click here to open in the AppStore) to keep track of a participation grade when they are working individually and in groups.  I've also used Ubersense (click here to open in the AppStore) and Video Physics (click here to open in the AppStore) to do some slow motion analysis of things in motion but that is more science specific stuff."

Andrew Carroll

"I have been using EduCreations (click here to open in the AppStore) to create videos about noun and verb endings, but got a great idea to use it also for sentence diagraming this weekend."

Personal Note
If you would like to share lesson plans or other ideas you have, please let me know.  You can become a guest blogger on the site, or just send me your idea in an email and I'll post it like I did above.

Note on Two of the Apps Mentioned Above
Explain Everything allows you to create presentations on your iPad.  You create slides (if you have presentations in PDF format, you can import them) and then record your presentation slide by slide. After you have recorded all of them, it will compile all the slides and your recording together into a single video file that you can upload to YouTube or other sharing platforms.  The advantage over EduCreations (basically the same thing but free) is 1. with single slide recording mistakes in recordings are limited to a slide vs. the whole presentation; and 2. you can upload to YouTube or others whereas Educreations posts it on their site and you direct students to their link.

I personally use Class Dojo and find it to be the first time I've understood how participation can be documented and a valid aspect of the grade.  For instance, I can actually bring up a report on any student and state by date which accuracy examples and instances of when a student has been a positive or negative influence in the class.  Further, it is free!

New Apps, App Ideas, and Other Practical Ideas for Use in the Classroom (inspired from the JSEA Technology Conference)

As promised, a more practical post from the Tech Conference:

GradeCam

If you use Scantron for quizzes or tests: GradeCam is an affordable option that would cut out the purchasing of the forms as well as you going to the work area to process the scores.  As soon as a student is finished, you could take a picture of his answers using your iPad and it would immediately give you his result. As more come to you, using your Camera you would have instant results and see, by person or the aggregate, what learning has been missed.

Book Creator or Creative Book Builder

These two apps are essentially ways to create iBooks on your iPad.  The first is more simple with a more intuitive learning curve, while the second is more advanced but can be more cumbersome. 

Ideas would be to have students use one of these apps to create a book as a unit assessment of overall course assessment.  They could use it in a group project to create a student's guide to the course for next years' class, or create a visual glossary or even a resource compendium to help differentiate learning.

EduCanon

Imagine taking a YouTube (or Vimeo or others) video you have created and placing stops during it that bring up quiz questions.  The student answers the quiz question and they get immediate feedback (for multiple choice ones). Once they have answered the question, they are allowed to resume watching the video.  You are given the results, so you can formatively assess the learning as it is taking place in the video.

If you flip the classroom instruction, this might be a way to embed a type of worksheet into the actual video.  At the least, they cannot skip ahead and they are forced to engage in the viewing.  Accessing the scoring data also gives you more focused points for remediation.

Vernier Video Physics (Math/Science)

Using the Camera, a student can record something in motion and the data analysis within the program will draw trajectory, position, and velocity graphs for the object.

An instructor from Brophy uses this to prove gravity and acceleration, and then has students discover the laws of physics with motion in the AngryBirds universe. 

The Grading Game (English)

Competing as an "evil" English teacher bent on giving students terrible grades, the "player" gets writing samples and a time limit.  The goal is to bring the grade down finding mistakes in grammar as quickly as possible.  Teachers have found this to quickly increase student capacities in writing.

ComicLife or Comics Head Lite (English, Theology)

Create comic strips on the iPad. 

If you are having students create story outlines, have them take pictures enacting key scenes and use the bubbles or captions of the comic strip to analyze or provide grounds justifying why the scenes they select are crucial in the development of the plot.  Limit it to two pages to force their evaluative capacities.

TI-Nspire Calculator and Keynote (Math)

For Math: have students find real life examples of 90 degree angles or other concepts, take photos of them, highlight the area or lines the image represents. Using the Inspire app, have it analyze the data and then insert this analysis into a Keynote presentation.  This can become a creative unit review and integrated into future physics or architecture lessons, can add application and depth to learning.

iPhoto (English, Fine Arts, Languages, Science, Social Studies, Theology)

Have students take photos that can express the meaning of vocab words or key concepts.  Using iPhoto and the Web Journal feature, have them create a photo glossary of terms/concepts for a unit.  With the sharing feature, this could be done as a group project or with peer review. 

iMovie (Social Studies, English, Theology)

Using Ken Burns documentaries as examples, have students use photos in the iMovie app and by adjusting the effects and adding in recordings, have them create their own documentaries of a time period.

iCircuit (Science)

Create and experiment with circuit design/analysis.

TimeLapse (Fine Arts, Science, any project with a visual aid)

Turn your Camera into a time lapse camera.  Set the length of time to "record" or just set it to take a shot every 5 seconds, you can use this to show the progression of something over time.  

Imagine setting this up to record dissection or the creation of an art piece. Every five seconds a photo is taken and at the end, it makes this into a movie. Import that into iMovie and they can give audio commentary on the dissection/piece of art.

Another idea stems from RCA Animate.  Have students create a graphic in the stop-motion style to be used to present ideas/concepts.

Holomic or AirMicroScope (Science)

The first, Holomic, turns an iPhone into a microscope, even an electron microscope.  You can also do blood or allergen analysis.

The second, AirMicroScope, turns the iPad into a microscope.  With the click of a button the teacher is able to send an image of a cell into every students' Camera Roll.

SmartMusic (Fine Arts)

Students can come home, practice music on their instrument (voice included) and the software will record and analyze their performance.  The student will even receive feedback on how to improve.   

How to Redeem Codes in the App Store to Install New Apps

If you have ever received a code for an app that you need to "redeem" in order to install it on your iPad, and you weren't quite sure how to do this or you've forgotten how to do it, I've created a tutorial for that.  Click here to download it.

Here are the steps:

1. Open up the "App Store" on your iPad

2. It will open to the "Home Screen".  You need to scroll to the bottom.

3. At the bottom, click on "Redeem".

4. It might ask you at this point to enter your Apple ID.  This is a password and account you set up with Apple when you received your iPad.  We do not have access to that password, so if you have issues you will need to contact Apple.

5. You need to tap on the space where it says, "You can also enter your code manually".

6. After you have tapped on that section, you will enter in the Redemption Code (listed above).  Then, tap on "Redeem".  If it works, it will download and install the app.  If it does not, it will tell you the code does not work (or something to that effect).

Education in a Changing World Conference, by Gretchen Kessler

I attended the Education in a Changing World Conference in August in Watsonville, CA. Monte Vista Christian School, which hosted the conference, was the first school in the country to go to iPads for all students. As a faith-based school they have focused on keeping their charism at the center of what they do while adding a whole new level of technology to their identity. All textbooks are in e-format….some are teacher-created while others are from a variety of publishing companies. Many of the apps that seem to be of interest to us are exactly what they are using. When talking about flipping the classroom, one speaker said that if the teacher’s brain is the most active one in the classroom, then we're not doing our job.    If all we do is flip the lecture and worksheets, that isn't flipping the classroom at all.   It is a technique that can be used  to maximize the time we have in the classroom with them with applying the knowledge and guiding. They spoke very clearly that pedagogy must drive technology, not technology driving pedagogy.

From one speaker to the next, they referenced such apps as

·         Explain Everything

·         Knowmia

·         iMovie

·         Socrative

·         Thinglink

·         Doceri

·         Timetoast

Take a look at www.flippedday.org and www.flippedclass.com for some ideas on flipped classrooms.

AND if you’d like to follow one of my favorite blogs on iPad Apps for Schools, go to http://ipadapps4school.com/ and subscribe.   This guy is great!  I’ve been following him for a few years on his regular tech for teachers blog and now this one dedicated to iPad use.

Request for Training

While working on more systemic training in preparation for next year's 1:1 environment, it is helpful also to get a "pulse" on what would help you right now.  There are certain apps that have more flexibility (use by more than one department), others that have more power (Dropbox, for instance, can work with almost every app that would benefit from importing and exporting files), and others that have more teacher appeal (Explain Everything, Class Dojo or Socrative).  We want you to have a way to tell us what you desire training on (so we don't offer trainings that no one shows up to) and a way to tell us how you desire that training (live, video, document tutorial).  This form even includes the capacity to tell us you would like training on something we haven't anticipated.  So please fill it out whenever you experience the desire/need:

RJ Newsletter Article - "Where are you on the Education Continuum?"

This reflection was inspired by this article.

No single educator, even if teaching the same content or having identical Myers-Briggs letters, can be placed in the same box.  Regis Jesuit has been a respite for me in allowing the opportunity of teaching in my strengths rather than a curriculum of conformity, yet as we technologically look ahead there are many movements to the “same box” - 1:1 classrooms (where every individual has access to technology at any moment and as the need arises) and Canvas.

This causes issues for the tech transitions happening in our school, and it can inspire a feeling that we are being forced to adopt things that either make life more complicated or just do not support learning.  I will respond to these issues by offering a model of development in education for reflection.

Technology may offer us an alternative to the “sage on stage” model where a teacher’s vocation is one of knowledge transfer, to see our task as building knowledge sharing and eventually supporting the student to experience the joy of engaging in knowledge communities.  I will consider these three points different models of teaching.  Ultimately, the way you integrate technology - what you use and how you use it - will depend on what model you have adopted or will work to adopt.

Knowledge transfer is how most of us were formed.  There are strengths to this, and from my experience in Germany this method gave me the best education I ever received.  In this stage, technology can support effective learning as a note taking tool or content delivery device.  From SmartBoards to PowerPoints to Canvas to iPad apps like Socrative, NearPod or Notability, next year will support this method.  

Knowledge sharing may connote the dreaded, and often ineffective, group work scenario; or as we train and sustain accountability, it actually refers to collaborative learning with things like project-based learning.  Integrating apps like GoogleDrive, Dropbox, Blogger, Explain Everything, Class Dojo -- with Canvas’ “Discussions” and the previous stage’s technologies -- into planning can support students seeing the classroom as a place to share knowledge rather than solely absorbing it.

The final stage, knowledge communities, embeds the previous stages with the goal of inspiring the spirit of self-learning in our students.  This moves us beyond the personal choice of the student (which I had to do in Germany in order to survive) to nurturing this as a natural urge from within the student.  Rather than a sage, the teacher now becomes a coach or consultant.  The 1:1 environment acknowledges that knowledge is always available and centers on the questions, “how do students discern which knowledge is accurate and useful?” and “how does this student answer the problems posed to him/her creatively, competently, and faithfully?”  Now iPads, mobile devices and technology in general allows, for instance, Twitter to become a place where my cohort evolves beyond the classroom to the larger community focused not on personal expression but intellectual and professional evolution.  Our libraries provide mobile access to databases, online communities, and class room consultation to train these skills.  The teacher then models the learning s/he requires, which demands some restructuring of curriculum to showcase students learning - the process as well as the product.    

As teachers, we know an aspect of our vocation is to continually learn and, in doing so, rejuvenate our minds.  The opportunity that technology presents for us next year can be overwhelming, but if we engage in this together as a community, I believe and hope it will be rewarding.  Just the examples that I have seen in the Boys Division: Bob Bowers using his Camera app and AirServer to facilitate group reading and editing, Billy Willson using Notability to create homework reviews, Jeff Goldsmith, Jen Gray, and Bill Kehrman using discussions on Canvas to augment learning, Candace Busselmeier flipping her classroom with Explain Everything and other apps; these examples show me that there are a myriad of ways technology can support our teaching.  I’ve even heard about Sarah Sherwood giving instruction to other teachers on how to use AirServer - each of us has more capacity than we think!  Please know Kathy and I are here to support your use, at any level, of technology.  Our goal is not to force technology, but to use it to assist the development of a creative and challenging learning environment that prepares our students for the world they will be entering.

Importing files from Dropbox into Canvas on the iPad

Tim Bauer sent the following request: Is it possible to bring files into web-based Canvas from Dropbox on the iPad, bypassing the need for my laptop?  When I go to download a file into Canvas, it only gives me options for videos and photos, not files from an app.

Answer: Click here for the PDF tutorial.  For a quick video on how to do it, watch:

Review of Random Name Selector by Wallsall Academy

Random Name Selector is a free app by Walsall Academy that assists teachers with ensuring that all students have an opportunity to speak in class.  The teacher sets up classes as "groups" and enters student names in a list.  The teacher selects a group and presses "Play" and the app presents a "game screen."  With each question, the teacher presses a button and the app presents a new name to the teacher.  The list may be set to present each name once or three times.  The list may also be modified to temporarily remove absent students.

The app is free, but there are in-app ads.  New "game screens" may be purchased in-app, which also turns off the in-app ads.  It is easy to use.  The help is straightforward and the interface is simple.  Handy for teachers wanting to keep track of whom they have called. Four stars out of five.  Click here to download and install  the app.

Hopeful Train the Trainers Skill Block

In hopes and preparation of a Train the Trainers Skill Block, I've created this GoogleDoc Form for you to fill out and submit so Kathy and I can begin to formulate a plan for trainings, etc.  We invite you to throw your expertise into the pot and we will form a faculty teaching one another, not solely teaching our students (I feel a "Focus on the Family" - the Faculty that Trains Together...).

File management on iOS

One of the challenges getting started with an iPad is that you have years (decades) of files saved on your computer that aren't on your iPad. Not to mention the filesystem (or lack thereof) on iOS can be a challenge for those of us used to saving all of our documents in folders as opposed to iOS's app silos. 

The best way to bridge this gap: using a cloud-based storage service for your files. In my training sessions last week I talked about Dropbox, because that's what I use. But much of what makes Dropbox useful would apply to any number of online services, including Microsoft SkyDrive or Google Drive. In a nutshell, you would install one of these apps on any computers you use, save your work-related files in that app's folder, and then the accompanying iPad app will let you access all those files on your iPad. The helpful "Open In..." command in iOS lets you open, for example, a PowerPoint or Word document in Keynote or Pages.

Jason Beyer found this helpful overview of the different options and their distinguishing characteristics, and these charts from last spring are useful. I know Jason and Kathy are planning on offering training sessions to get more in-depth, but I'd recommend just trying one of these out first and seeing what problems you run into. They are all pretty easy to get up and running, but I'm happy to help if you have any questions. 

iPad Level 3 Training

In case any of you from the training are looking for the site I set up with GoogleDocs, or if you are simply interested in what we did in Level 3 training, follow these instructions (NB: you will not be able to take the Socrative Quiz nor follow my Nearpod presentation unless you set up a time with me to do this in person or via the internet):

1.  Install a QR Code Reader on your iPad - I use: http://goo.gl/2yxbzo
2. After this is installed, use it to scan this image in (if you cannot do this on another computer screen, click here - I want to give you an experience of using a QR code if this is new): 
   

Touchcast

This is one of the most interesting apps I've come across.  Essentially, Touchcast is a video creation tool that allows embedding images, web links, polls, and a variety of other things directly into the video itself.  That means live web stream data when the viewer watches the video, not when I created it!  It does this with "VApps" (Video-Apps).  A math teacher reviews it quite thoroughly here, including screen shots.  

Click here to download it to your iPad for free, and here for the website to see examples and tutorials.  

This is an example of my using it for the first time: TouchCast - How to make an amazing cherry pie!